Fifty Digital lands Gulf Oil International brief

Fifty Digital has been appointed by Gulf Oil International to activate the brand’s global sponsorship of Manchester United.

The London-based agency, which is shortlisted for the BT Sport Industry Awards 2019 Young Agency of the Year in association with Getty Images, won a competitive multi-agency pitch for the account.

The win will see Fifty Digital become the lead digital and social media agency for all Gulf Oil International sports partnerships, which also include the Aprilia Racing MotoGP team.

Central to the brief is activation of the showpiece Manchester United partnership.

Fifty Digital has been tasked with maximising the impact of the platform for the club’s global oil lubricant and fuel retail partner, focusing on reaching new and existing audiences in key growth markets.

Commenting on the appointment, Alexandra Ip, VP Global Marketing Strategy, Gulf Oil, said: “After an extensive pitch process, we chose Fifty Digital because of their brilliant creative and their digital knowledge, as well as their passion, expertise and deep insight. They understand our needs as a business and show a great attention to detail.

“We are confident they will help us to amplify our iconic brand worldwide and to deliver real value through exciting digital brand campaigns which deliver powerful visuals and an emotive narrative. One of their major tasks is to streamline our social media strategy and to use our top sports sponsorships to reach new audiences and deepen brand engagement.

“It’s an exciting journey and one we’re looking forward to sharing with them.”

Nick Jackman, Co-Founder of Fifty Digital commented: “Gulf Oil International is a company who consistently supplies industry-leading products while using the power of sport to spread Gulf’s message throughout the world. We are delighted to win such a competitive pitch and work with the forward-thinking Gulf Oil International sponsorship and marketing team.

“Manchester United is a key partner of Gulf and is a brilliant club to be working with. It is the most recognisable team in British sport and an established giant of the global sporting landscape.

“The opportunity to share Gulf’s story of sustained success, performance, endurance and quality through dynamic brand campaigns and smart content is hugely exciting. Part of this will mean tapping into Manchester United’s worldwide 200m+ social media following to reach emerging markets and share the Gulf story of excellence.

“There are a lot of opportunities to explore and we cannot wait to get started!”